Springtime of Youth
by tterrafirma
Summary: Tenten's last hope for winning Neji's heart lies in trusting Lee's catchphrase. Nejiten main with other minor pairings.


Lee had always spoken of the spring being the perfect time to fall in love. I was young and believed because he seemed to feel it was true to his core. He was always running around all too excitedly during the spring- for Sakura- and even though he was wrong about every single other thing in this world, I wanted him to be right this time. I wanted it more than I can tell, honestly.

I was already in love, I just wanted a certain white-eyed, long haired ninja to return my feelings. Too many spars had gone by that I was wishing he'd help me up by holding my hand, not my wrist. Too many days had gone by when I wanted our team lunches to just be Neji and I. And too many years had gone by of me pining after the most solitary Hyuuga I'd ever known for me to really be satisfied with anything less than him being mine.

The war had shifted my priorities. He had died, after all, but an Edo Tensei brought him to life. It was in that moment- his eyes fluttering open and his hair being pushed back by his own hand, his chest heaving and his muscles tensing to move- that I knew I had no hope of ever loving another. I was inextricably, inexorably, unutterably in love with the man. It was ridiculous.

As he watched Hinata and Naruto inevitably hook up, he approached me one day with the question of whether I'd thought about marriage. My heart screamed in tones too feminine a hearty _yes!_ But my decently level-headed brain simply shrugged out a, "sure."

He nodded and explained that he wondered if most women had thought of that aspect of their future. His survey apparently ended with me.

It had been two years since the end of the war- a year after the loud mouthed blond got hitched and a few months after a pink haired kunoichi squealed into my apartment flashing a diamond- that I was about to give up hope. Even Shikamaru was dating the oldest Sand Sibling. That girl was a whirlwind and a half.

Neji was dating another girl at the time, but I never understood why. Her hair was a simple shade of brown, like his. She was plain-looking and not necessarily effeminate. Her mannerisms, if she was wearing loose clothing, could mistake her for a man of small stature. She ate like a pig and worked too little on her ninja arts. She was a jonin, sure, but Neji wasn't known to care about status despite his high ranking in both his clan and as a shinobi. Minus her jonin status, I matched that description well enough, and it broke my heart to admit it.

I had to concede one thing about her, however- she was completely wonderful. Her smile could light up a room and her light and airy voice made up for her mannish actions. Her sneezes even were dainty and her feet were sandaled in shoes with an upturned toe. She seemed to me to be a pixie.

I cried a lot in those days. A festival celebrating the anniversary of the war's end was coming up and it was generally something our group of rookies all attended together. Most of them were attached at the hip and many of those had gold rings to prove it. The only free ones of us were Lee, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, and I. I felt every second of it.

Chouji was out, I decided first. We'd never gotten along quite as famously as even Naruto and I had.

Shino creeped me out, no matter how big the guy's heart was. Bugs coming out of a potential boyfriend's hands were just too strange.

Kiba and Lee were two different versions of the same loud-mouthed ninja like Naruto. Lee held more respect and Kiba more energy, if possible. But they were out, too, whether I liked it or not.

And I did. Despite his entanglement, I found myself vying to earn Neji's attention, even if it drew him away from his girlfriend. Scratch that. _Especially_ if it drew him away from Pixie. My conscious told me I was all too rude and unfair to the girl, but my jealousy boiled over when I saw them holding hands.

Ino joked at me once that when I saw Pixie my whole body shook, and I believed her.

The fireworks festival quickly approached and I was still without a date. I mentally tested the waters a second time, weighing in my possibilities, and decided Lee was probably the best. He was heartbroken over Sakura's engagement and yet totally excited for her. I hoped spending the night trailing around with him would help that spirit rub off on me.

The girls all gathered at Hinata's house to prepare. The giggles they let fly rivaled schoolgirls'. I was impressed. My heart, however begrudgingly, was with the boy in the courtyard who was running through stances for his jutsu and I inevitably drawn to the window seat that let me watch him train.

Sakura's bright pink kimono with short sleeves billowed towards me and I heard her shuffle the skirt of it so no wrinkles would form. Her soft hand rested on mine and when I looked at her, a sad smile played out on her face. "I understand," she said, and I knew she did. Sasuke had run off for all those years and was still, to most of us at least, incredibly silent on them as a whole. Who knew what he'd done for all that time.

I grinned back at her as best I could, but I knew she wasn't fooled. Helping me to stand up, her hands flew to zip up the last few inches of my dress.

"Lee'll love it," she laughed.

He would. I picked it out for him. Though I was never one for dresses, Hinata had helped me find one that made me look more womanly. I was still in what Gai would call the springtime of youth, after all. I might as well enjoy it.

Ino smartly wove my hair into one large bun square in the middle of my head and stuck chopsticks through it for kicks. I laughed. I was wearing heels of sorts. I was in a dress. My hair looked nice rather than battle-ready. Even I didn't recognize myself, but the always-arguing duo agreed that I looked lovely. Hinata's shy nod told me it was true.

Dinner approached and my stomach eagerly growled. I was ready to see the boys, even if Neji would be with his girlfriend. I would steel myself with Lee's determination, or...

No suitable punishment for failure would come to mind. I'm not enough like Lee for my thoughts to run so quickly to betterment. No amount of push-ups would abate my lovesickness, anyway.

The barbecue place was packed and our boys already sat along one side of a table. The girls sat in front of their boys or their team. Legs crossed, I tried to be myself, even though Pixie sat next to me and airily breathed out happiness. My heart stung.

Darkness fell and, after paying, we made our way out of the restaurant. Lee offered me his arm after seeing Neji do the same to Pixie. I returned the gesture half-heartedly. Sakura smiled up at something Sasuke said- they planned to honeymoon at a festival, I think- and Naruto and Hinata couldn't keep the goofy grins off their faces. Shikamaru had Temari on his arm and looked nervous. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought he was about to propose. Sai and Ino wandered the booths arguing in the way they always did.

Hours passed and the fireworks came and went. They were bright and beautiful and celebrated everything the end of the war should be remembered as, but my eyes kept wandering unabashedly at Pixie. She was curled up into Neji's side, apparently frightened at the display.

I harrumphed and Lee asked if he was elbowing me. I frowned out an angry no.

Pixie lived in the same direction as me, I discovered, because when Lee walked me home, Neji still held her arm tightly in his. The last turn before my house saw us split ways and I couldn't have been more grateful. Finally nearing my apartment, I bent over and ripped the heels from under me.

Lee smiled over at me apologetically. "I know I am not you first choice," he began.

"I'm not yours either," I laughed.

He nodded sadly. "But thank you for tonight."

I returned his smile for a moment. "How do you do it?" I asked, suddenly shy and staring at his feet.

"Do what?"

"Love someone who doesn't love you back."

"Ahh," he said sagely. "You let their happiness be yours."

Tears threatened to fall and I balled my fists to gain resolve. I looked up at him. "What if you can't do that?"

He shook his head. "You are a great kunoichi and my friend, Tenten. I will help you."

I thanked him and ran into my apartment, flopping on my bed and disentangling my hair. Tonight would be a chocolate ice cream kind of night.

Weeks passed by in normal time with the same boring monotony the whole way through. Pixie stopped coming to our team lunches, though, and it made me gladder than I cared to admit. I asked Neji about it one day when I hadn't seen her in a week.

"Oh, her? Lord Hiashi thought that our two clans might make good partners, and I was the envoy. Her father decided I was unfit, and I gladly was rid of her." He shook his head like he wanted to forget the whole ordeal.

I was incredulous. "You mean you weren't dating?"

"Dating? Hardly." He laughed. "Uncle told me I didn't have to love her, but she was so incompetent that I couldn't stand to watch her any longer. I honestly was glad to be rid of her. Did you see her form? A genin could do better. How she made jonin, I'm not sure."

Hope flickered in my chest despite me trying my best to quell it.

"Honestly, Tenten, I thought you'd have known better. There's a reason I like to spar so much with you," he said, turning back to his ramen.

I leaned forward onto the bar, trying to act casual. "Oh, yeah?"

"You're the only one who can predict my movements before I make them. We're a good pair." His hand lay next to mine.

I took the opportunity and as my hand awkwardly brushed his, I swear sparks leapt up in my body.

His half-smile told me he felt the same.

The cherry blossoms danced in the wind of a hot spring day that would eventually melt into summer. Birds in their nests were uncomfortable with the change in the weather and people felt no gratitude for the shift in the air. The world seemed to be getting hotter even down to the breezes that blew gently throughout the village. I would come to realize that eventually. But, for now, I enjoyed the budding of my new relationship with the elusive Neji Hyuuga.

* * *

**A/N_:_**_ I love Nejiten, you guys. Doubt you knew that about me. But I always feel like they're such a cute couple because of their chemistry. Watch the episodes in Suna when Gaara's been captured and you'll see it. Review if you liked, as always. Thanks so much for your support! _


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